Moore Kingston Smith announces new managing partner

Moore Kingston Smith is delighted to announce the election of Matt Meadows as managing partner. As of 1 May 2024, Matt will take over from current managing partner Maureen Penfold who retires on 30 April 2024.

Matt joined Moore Kingston Smith in 1998 as a trainee and was made a partner ten years later. Highly skilled across multiple disciplines including audit and corporate finance, he has led many of the firm’s largest assignments, as well as advising on growth and exit strategies.

Matt, as an integral member of the Senior Leadership Team, alongside Maureen, led the firm’s external investment from European private equity firm Waterland. This move made Moore Kingston Smith the UK’s first major accountancy firm to receive PE funding while keeping its limited liability partnership status. He was instrumental in the acquisition of leading Irish firm Moore, which enhanced the firm’s global presence and ability to support its growing client base with international interests.

Maureen’s retirement follows a 40-year career at the firm, with 30 of those years as a partner. Since becoming managing partner in 2016, she’s steered Moore Kingston Smith into a leading challenger firm, overseen its integration into the Moore Global network and guided its people and clients through the pandemic.

The firm’s people-first reputation flourished under her leadership, embedding a culture of fairness, introducing a suite of leading people benefits and policies including a transparent salary process, championing positive wellbeing, and reviewing business decisions through the lens of equity, diversity and inclusion.

Maureen Penfold commented: “I’m delighted and incredibly proud to see Matt elected as managing partner. A natural next step for him and our firm; I’ve seen his career progress over 25 years, and he knows our clients, culture and the principles that set us apart from other firms. Matt is absolutely the right person to take the helm, he’s steered us through some of our most significant milestones and will successfully and sustainably continue our journey of growth.

“I look forward to seeing all that Moore Kingston Smith achieves in its next chapter and have every confidence with Matt leading the way.”

Matt Meadows said: “It’s an honour and a very exciting time to become managing partner at this point in our 100-year history. I’m grateful for the support of Maureen, my fellow partners and colleagues in this next stage for Moore Kingston Smith.

“My time here has been full of opportunity, and that’s what I want others to feel and experience when they work with us. It’s important that we continue to nurture an environment that helps our people and all who work with us to achieve their ambitions.

“I look forward to building on the strong foundations laid by Maureen, fostering our inclusive, supportive workplace as we grow, for our people to enjoy what they do, and to continue delivering quality solutions for our clients.”